When the Dead Rise (Book 1): The Beginning (20 page)

"I'm not on anything Sarah. Please just do as I say." A grenade exploded a little too close to the roller; shaking the vehicle. Aisha grabbed the radio and shouted into it, "Whoever just threw that fucking grenade is going to lose their balls."

The cellphone clutched in Aisha's other hand buzzed faintly; she put it back to her ear. Sarah was shouting on the other end of the line. "Aisha... Aisha!"

"Please, please just do as I ask," she pleaded with her friend.

"Okay fine," Sarah huffed, "but if this turns out to be some kind of sick joke, you can be the one to explain it to the others."

"I wish it were a joke." Another grenade, this one further away, exploded. Dismembered limbs and miscellaneous body parts showered the cab; the thwack of flesh hitting metal turned Aisha's stomach. "I've got to go Sarah but please do as I ask."

Sarah's voice began to shake, "This is real isn't it? It's not a joke."

With a sigh of relief, Aisha said, "No joke. Get friends, get supplies and get to Curt and Heather's. Tell the others I'll meet them there as soon as I can."

"You better show up." Now Sarah sounded like she was crying.

"I will," Aisha promised, before hanging up. She sat for a long moment, staring blankly at the cellphone clutched in her hands; the buzz of the radio pulled her from her dark thoughts.

"Aisha? Tiny? We're going to cease-fire while you guys take care of the mess out there. Over."

"We should be less than five minutes," Aisha responded, glancing over to Tiny who nodded his agreement.

Putting the roller into gear, Aisha crossed the highway just in front of the barricade they'd erected only hours earlier; it was standing up surprisingly well. The zombies pushed against the side of the big machine but it didn't stop moving forward. The dead zombies, which lay piled at the base of the barricade, crunched and popped as they were crushed beneath the rollers weight. When the walking corpses who were trying to climb over the pile of bodies disappeared from view, Aisha couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction. The grinding of metal on pavement echoed above the zombie's moans as Tiny cleared the road of the pulpy debris behind her.

"As soon as you're clear we're opening fire again," Jenkins said through the radio, but Aisha didn't bother to respond.

Once clear of the barricade, Aisha turned back to see their handiwork, but the zombies had already filled in the space they'd cleared, once again pressing up against the concrete divider between the living and the dead.

The zombies were hideous, she'd decided early on. Some of the zombies no longer resembled human beings but at least those ones were easy to kill. For the most part, they still looked like people with only bites and small chunks of flesh missing. Every time she watched one of the more human looking zombie's heads snap back or one explode into pieces, she couldn't help but think that she'd just watched someone die. Regardless of what they looked like, whatever had made them human was gone, leaving only a monster in its place and she continually had to remind herself of that.

More than an hour later, Aisha realized the tandem roller was running low on fuel. She was about to radio Jenkins when her radio burst to life with shouts and gunfire.

"The northern side of the bridge has been breached and we're unable to hold them off much longer." There was more gunfire and Aisha watched in horror as a ball of fire lit the night, illuminating the flood of zombies streaming onto the bridge.

"Don't throw any more grenades," someone was shouting into the radio; Aisha thought it might have been Jenkins but wasn't sure. "We have men beneath and don't have the manpower to deal with a collapse. Fallback to the south side and reinforce the teams there. We cannot lose both sides of the..." The radio cut off when the screams began.

A fire, started by the grenade, created macabre backlighting to the death scene unfolding atop the bridge. The zombies fell onto the soldiers, devouring all in their path. A flaming zombie hit the rail and toppled into the crowd below; several others in the vicinity quickly became walking torches. New zombies, dressed in fatigues, appeared on the overpass, quickly turning on those who'd once fought alongside them. Anyone witnessing the massacre now understood the unwavering determination of the undead.

The bridge exploded and the lights flickered out. Aisha threw her arms protectively over her head and tucked her chin to her knees, her mind reeling with what had just happened. Confused and disorientated, she groped for the radio. "Tiny!" She shouted over the ringing in her ears.

"We need to get the fuck out of here and far, far away." She heard the big man reply.

"I don't have enough fuel."

"I'll come get you." It wasn't a question - Tiny was coming for her.

Thank god, I'm not going to die in here.
Looking at the zombies pressing against all sides of the roller, however, she wasn't sure she'd make it to the cab of the bulldozer even if he get to the roller. "There are too many," she said, resigned to waiting until the crowd was thin enough for her to make a break for it.

"Then I'll go get fuel and come back for you." She began to protest but Tiny cut her off, "it's not a question Aisha. Shut down the engine and conserve what you have left. I'll try to get back as soon as I can." The radio fell silent and the bulldozer pulled away.

Aisha killed the engine and stared out at the sea of zombies surrounding her.

Early morning...

The zombies moaned all through the night and those trapped in the rubble of the collapsed bridge screamed while they were devoured. Aisha hadn't dared to sleep. Dead hands continuously banged against all sides of the roller, but thankfully, the zombies didn't appear to have enough dexterity to climb on top of it. They shuffled around moaning and clawing at the sides of Aisha's tiny refuge, in an attempt to get to the living within.

The night seemed to drag on forever. With the barricade destroyed, the bulk of the horde continued their march into Houston. Unfortunately, some of the zombies lingered around the construction site, hoping to find more of the living stuck in the debris. Trapped in the tandem roller for what seemed like an eternity, Aisha watched the gradual lightening of the eastern sky. From further within the city, she could see smoke lazily drifting skyward; an unnatural hush had fallen over Houston. The cities residents hadn't stood a chance of survival. She only hoped that Sarah and her friends had made it out of the city in time. Throughout the night, she'd tried to use her cell phone to confirm her friend's safety, but only received an automated message saying that all circuits were busy and to try her call again later.

The sun, having risen just above the cityscape, began to heat the cab and Aisha knew she couldn't linger for much longer - she needed to make a decision and get on the move. Being short on fuel and having no supplies, a change in transportation would be necessary. Scanning the top of the collapsed overpass, Aisha noticed a small grouping of army trucks on the southern side of the bridge. If she could make it there, then she should be able to make it to the gulf, and hopefully, locate her friends before it was too late.

With new determination, Aisha started the engine and realized too late that its loud rumble drew the attention of all zombies in the area. They swarmed around the roller with rotting arms stretched out; thankfully, the engine drowned out their moans.

The radio on the floor squawked. "Is someone out there? Can anyone hear me?" It was Rudy. She reached down, searching the floor for the abandoned radio. "We can hear the engine and if anyone's out there, we desperately need help. We're trapped in the trailer on the east side of the bridge and there are too many of them outside for us to make an escape." There was a long pause. Aisha's face pressed against the controls as her fingers frantically searched the floor beneath her. "Please, if you're out there and can hear us, we desperately need assistance. One of our men was injured last night and we need to get him to a hospital."

Aisha's heart sank, but only for a moment; her fingers brushed against plastic and she snatched up the radio, quickly depressing the respond button. "Rudy, its Aisha. Thank God you're still alive!"

"I knew you made it through the night." Rudy sounded relieved and a little choked up.

"Who's all with you in the trailer?" she asked, shifting the roller into drive; a few zombies didn't stand a chance against the pressing weight of the two rollers.

"It's just me, Kev and Jenkins. Kev's hurt pretty bad; he caught some shrapnel in his calf and can't walk. I think the things outside can smell his blood because they haven't stopped beating on the walls of the trailer. I'm worried they're going to break through at any minute."

"I'm on my way." Aisha gunned the engine and was satisfied with the crunch as she rolled forward.

"They got Tiny and Saul but I think the others made it off the site before the shit really hit the fan." Rudy talked as Aisha navigated her way across the highway, squishing every zombie in her path. "The Lieutenant was airlifted out of here when they lost the bridge. I think it was their missiles that blew the thing to kingdom come." A zombie wearing camo stumbled into her path. Aisha thought she remembered seeing him speaking to Jenkins the night before. Now, half of his face was gone and burn marks ran down his right side. The burns didn't hide the bite marks on his arms, chest and neck.

Rudy kept talking, "Army personnel were trapped in the bridge collapse. Jenkins and I attempted to dig them out, but there was no time - the zombies overwhelmed us and we had to fall back to the trailer." There was a slight bump as the army zombie fell beneath the front roller and Aisha whispered a prayer for the dead soldier. "We were running for cover and noticed Tiny running down the hill shouting something about fuel. That's when a mortar went off behind us... when Kev got hit. One minute he was running beside me, and the next he wasn't. Jenkins was the one who found him in the ruble and pulled him out. I didn't see Tiny again."

Aisha pushed the engine as it started up the incline to Pin Oak road, easily knocking over the guardrail once it reached the top; Rudy fell silent. To her right, Aisha could see the crater where the bridge once stood, and to her left, the ground littered with bodies - some still twitching. The bulldozer sat abandoned. Crossing the road Aisha paused, surveying the trailer that stood just clear of the bridge's debris. Rudy was right - a group of thirty or so zombies crowded around it, but as Aisha began to descend, they all turned and wandered towards her.

Stopping, Aisha reached for her radio. "Rudy?"

"I'm still here. Whatever you are doing is drawing them away from the trailer."

"I can see that." She replied dryly. "I'm going to need you guys to come out when I get there. There's enough room in the cab for the three of you to fit in but it will be tight until I can get us to the south side of the bridge. There are a few trucks there and I'm hoping we can find one that runs." She paused, realizing that getting Kev into the cab would be a feat with him badly injured and so many zombies in tow.

"If the zombies aren't crowded around out there I think we can manage." Rudy's tone had changed from despair to hope, but Aisha wasn't so optimistic.

After a quick glance at the fuel gage, she knew that they didn't have time to waste. "I'm worried about Kev," she finally said, trying to lower her voice.

"Me too," Rudy replied quietly. "He's lost a lot of blood Aisha. He needs medical attention."

"Hospitals are out of the question Rudy. The zombies have made it to Houston and I doubt anywhere within the city limits is safe. Will he survive being moved?" She hated to ask, but they needed this to go as quickly and smoothly as possible. There was no response for a long moment.

When the radio crackled, Jenkins was the one to respond, "Hey Aisha, glad that you're okay."

"You too." She tried to smile, but was far too exhausted.

"I was listening to you and Rudy and I'm positive we won't be able to get Kev into the cab. I don't think we can move him Aisha; I'm worried that the bleeding will start up again or worse."

"Can we get the truck, drive back to the trailer and put him in the back?" she asked, hoping they could find a quick solution.

"If we come back, we run the risk of getting trapped again. I'm out of ammo and neither Kev nor Rudy have weapons. I hate to say this but I think we should put him out of his misery." Aisha gasped at his words. "Even if we were able to get him to a hospital, I doubt there is much they would be able to do for him - I'm not even sure how he made it thought the night."

"You can't just leave him!" Panic finally set in. Was this the world they were now living in? Where you'd just leave your friends behind because they wouldn't survive?

"Aisha," Jenkins' voice was soft and sorrowful, "I'm sorry but I don't think we have any other option. He's been unconscious for hours now and lost excessive amounts blood. This isn't easy for me either but given the situation, I don't see what other options we have."

"Well you have five minutes to figure out another option," Aisha snapped, dropping the radio into her lap and shoving the roller into drive.

The zombies, who were once crowded around the trailer, were now closing in on her location. With no remorse, Aisha rolled over the zombies in front of her and stopped, waiting for more to gather around. She put the roller into reverse and backed over the few zombies unfortunate enough to be in the way; she waited a moment before putting it into drive. Several more times she drove back and forth until most of the zombies were unrecognizable smears on the road and bloody streaks on the rollers.